To cut it short, I like it. Its not the lean mean B-action western that ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK was, but I still like L.A., for now its sorta more funny since now we have a President that thinks Jesus is his best buddy, and with the ruins of New Orleans now.....why not make it into a prison?

I wasn't a huge fan of Escape from LA - It felt like a rehash of Escape from NY, and had some pretty-darn cheesy sequences (the tsunami surf, the basketball court, etc).

I think it had potential, but ended up falling short, like several of JC's more recent films. After seeing it, I realized that if he ever did a new BTLC, it might turn out like Escape from LA and be nothing more than a remake, which JC had publically stated he doesn't want to do.

"I wasn't a huge fan of Escape from LA - It felt like a rehash of Escape from NY, and had some pretty-darn cheesy sequences (the tsunami surf, the basketball court, etc).

I think it had potential, but ended up falling short, like several of JC's more recent films. After seeing it, I realized that if he ever did a new BTLC, it might turn out like Escape from LA and be nothing more than a remake, which JC had publically stated he doesn't want to do."

Well, certainly good points, but consider this....

*formulaic rehashing itself doesn't bother me, unless its tedious and a waste of time. Really, DIE HARD films have the same plot basically, except the 2nd one sucked.

*I dig ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK like any other Carpenter fan, but even I admit its pretty damn cheesy on its own. If anything, its quite a grim and stylish-shot of a lean Mean fighting B-action movie, and its quite open about it. Besides, chandaliers(spelled right?) on cadillacs?

*Well, true about compared to Carpenter's recent films, but again, in the 80's he had much more control since, basically, that was when his movies made a profit. Though after flops with THING and BIG TROUBLE, Carpenter became basically a hired gun in Hollywood save for a project here and there. Besides, I think to compare some of his actual decent 90's work to the 80s is like comparing Pink Floyd of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON and THE WALL to the work of that group's members after they broke up. Its pretty one-sided.

If anything, only 2 films in the 90's by Carpenter are honestly worth a damn. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS is such an underrated insane mind-penetrating picture that really, might have been good ole Carpenter's last entry of absolute cinematic creativity.

Then ESCAPE FROM LA, and ya its not the $6 million B-exploitation movie, but instead the $50 million summer blockbuster action movie....just a thought.

However, the "cheese" I talk about in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK isn't as obvious as in L.A., since NEW YORK takes itself so seriously, we don't notice it much of the time. If anything, in attitude its Carpenter being inspired by Leone's westerns.

L.A. on the other hand, as I put in my review, Carpenter and gang made it as an insane action satiristic cartoon, and it plays itself as one. The whole "Shot Clock" sequence itself is rather great methinks, for its pretty nutty and well, humorous in a sick way. Of course, nevermind that whole Che-clone with Corraface in the background.

In fact, I am sure there is NO way ESCAPE FROM LA would be made in Hollywood after 9/11. I mean, basically you have an imperialistic police state of America taken by the wacky right and abusing its unipolar global status to piss its shiat around the place, and on the flip side, so-called revolutionaries that, arguably like Che, were men that carried the banners of social revolution, but ended up as bastards like their enemies.

So Snake's response?

"I shut them down: They lose, you win"
"I shut down America: You lose, they win.
The more things change, the more things stay the same"

and he shuts down the globe, and nobody wins. You think Hollywood would do such an anarchistic ending these days?

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but its just a few thoughts on my part. Still, the movie has problems, among them being the editing just being all over the place. Anyone else notice that?